Denying Cupid
by Counterfeiting Shakespeare
Summary: You think those afternoon soap operas you watched were insane? Try adding a Parthenon of Greek gods, the Dark Kingdom, two obstinate leading characters, one very pissed Cupid, and a group of moronic writers and you got yourself mayhem in the first degree.
1. The Story

_**A/N:**__ I'm reposting this story. I've edited the chapters to delete those nasty wrong grammars I was known for when I first started writing and to streamline the story. To __former readers __**look for the Author's Note that said this is the part where the story left of, okay?**__ I'll update every five days till I reach Act two Scene two. Hugs!_

_I do not own Sailor Moon (Disclaimer applies to succeeding chapters)_

_Take note of the way the story is written, okay? I'm sort of experimenting on the way I'm telling this particular story. Hope you enjoy it!_

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"**Denying Cupid"**

_By Counterfeiting Shakespeare_

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**prologue:**

My story begins the way all fan fictions are commonly written.

"Enigmatic."

"Brooding."

"Mysterious."

"And just plain sinful in his hotness…"

"Utterly uncaring of the broken hearts he leaves behind his gorgeous wake…"

Sighs around the table. Six girls were seated there. They were college girls from the looks of them. The hair, the make up, and the clothes singled them out from the normal patrons of the Crown Arcades. Normally, they would have been hanging out at the hip coffee shop near the university they were attending, but there was something – make that someone – that the girls openly admitted to stalking, who frequented the teen hang out.

No one needed to mention the words handsome, chiselled and or sensual, because it would have been redundant. There was no need to state something so obvious.

Three of the girls were black haired and had dark eyes. One was a red head, one was a brunette with pink highlights on her tresses, and the last was platinum blond. They had red lipstick on their lips, and their nails were long and manicured. All was attractive in that slightly typical cosmopolitan way.

The raven haired girl sitting nearest the exit smacked her head painfully like. "Ohmegod, how stupid could we get? Furuhuta works here, after all. We should have thought that before!" She said theatrically in a soft soprano. A fake soprano, by the way. And it was no where near soft at all.

Her friends swung their eyes to the arcade manager. The blonde was handsome enough, if you were into the boy next door type. But all six of the girls were strict members of the Chiba Mamoru Fan club. For them, only the tall, dark, and handsome upperclassman would do. No one else could be of equal calibre to that man. He was the mould to which all black haired anime hunks sprung from.

And then, wonders of wonders, for there he walked in. The man of their dreams. The reason why all six of the girls - and half the population of their school - lived and breathed. Even the female instructors (and, yes, its true, some male professors ) were not immune to this living god's charm.

He had a loose walk. Predatory, to be precise, in compliment to his dark coloring. The shock of black hair shaded his eyes, but the cold that haunted those cobalt orbs were visible to those who looked.

And boy, did they look.

It could not be helped. He was very, very handsome. Even in the hideous green jacket, he oozed gorgeousness. It was to be debated that he had to wear that horrible coat of his, simply on the principle that no one was perfect. So there it was: His one flaw.

Meiko, the leader, snatched her hand from her smoothie glass and tried to still her heart beats by placing it on top of her chest. She also hoped that with this gesture, Chiba-san would be forced to look at her cleavage. It would have been horrible; to have bought that incredibly skimpy low cut blouse and him never setting his eyes on it, (The breast, I mean) after all.

Mizuki Kione, the fan club's official eyes and ears, did a successful swoon from where she was seating. How she innocently flashed Mamoru-san with her racy lace panties, we would never know, but you'll have to give her credit for execution. With theatrical movement, she fluffed her platinum blond hair, hoping the dark roots would not show from where she was seating.

The other four were also in various maiden in distress poses. This was a prime moment. Only a fool would let it go to waste. And, honey, these fluffy predators knew when NOT to let a good opportunity get away. And desperation lent an extra boost to their performance.

They were not alone.

All the females in the vicinity were primping. Young and old, they were helpless in the need to be the one to spread some warmth in the newcomer's icy life.

It's sad, though, that Mamoru was never told that such needs existed.

In his short life, when he was looking for comfort at a very vulnerable age of six, some cosmic joke saddled him with this nightmare of a girl who insisted his life's purpose was to find for her a crystal. Selfish brat, I know. But we know, if Mamuro didn't, that this dream girl _led a tragic ancient life_ herself. Besides, she rounded up pretty nicely when she got reborn. Ditched the whole, 'the world revolves around my fragile being' and just simply anted up her adorableness.

Even if technically, the world still sorta revolved around her. More so now than then, in fact.

Ironic, ne?

The need to be with a girl to be with for the rest of his sad and lonely life simply didn't exist to Mamoru-sempai. In fact, even a girl fainting in a dead swoon, was no reason for him to take account the hush that descended any vicinity whenever he appeared. He had become… used to it. He had that effect on everyone – mostly female- his whole life.

To Chiba Mamoru, life was perfect. He had a best friend and he even had a dream girl…of sort. So yeah, life was perfect just the way it was. Everyone else was unimportant, unnecessary, unneeded.

Everyone.

Let us snort at the credibility of that statement before we read on shall we?

What a liar…because we knew for a fact, that there was this one girl…

Tendo Hikaru, with her red hair and gold eyes, didn't care much for being ignored. She figured if she fainted, Mamoru would _at least try to see_ if she was alright. So, she did just that.

Within moments, Mamoru's arms were cradling the young woman. He frowned as he scanned the girl's pupils, looking for signs of shock. Finding nothing, he signalled to Motoki and carried the faint woman inside the employee's lounge. Neither boys noticed the wicked gleam in Hikaru's eyes as she sent her irate friends a triumphant look behind the 'Greek god's' back.

Poor child was delusional. She thought she finally had Mamoru trapped.

She could be forgiven, since anyone who gets to be cradled in those strong arms tended to have their thoughts scattered. Sailor Moon, lucky girl, goes to lala land daily when THOSE arms circled her.

But we are not here to discuss _THAT _blonde's love life…sort of.

The remaining five had there mouths gaping and closing in disbelief. The bitch had done it again. Taken the attention of the man of their dreams. Bitch. Slut. Stupid slut, stupid cow, stupi-

"Oi! Usagi-san! Regular?" Motoki's voice interrupted their silent insults to the poor bitch that was Hikaru.

Startled, the fan club turned collectively towards the girl that had just entered the scene.

…Not…bad.

Maybe a little naïve, slightly too girl-child, but still a knock out. And this one had naturally blonde hair. Golden strands caught up in the weirdest hairstyle ever. The blonde would have gladly explained why her hair was up like that. For one thing, left unbound, it was _way too long_. And heavy. That hair, compromised nearly half the girl's weight as opposed to the common belief that she was heavy due to excessive pigging out. Also, the blonde's father approved very much his little girl's hairstyle. No need to mention that it made the little twit younger looking than her fourteen years.

Tsukino Kenji, the dementedly protective father, would have asked Usagi to still wear diapers, if he thought he could get away with it…

And most important, Usagi wasn't vain about her hair. She just liked it that way. Long and bundled at the top in a cute buns so that the rest only fell almost to her knees…That way, she couldn't trip and klutz twice as she normally would if left unbounded.

Kione, the bottled blonde with her platinum locks, defensively donned a hat on her head.

They looked, amazed, as the girl sauntered - or hopped, to be precise - inside with out so much as a pause towards any of the young men who had stopped to look at her arrival. Feminine wiles must be foreign for this one, though how she managed that was unclear to the college girls. Certainly the blonde's mother gets enough ribbing on how her daughter must never have lived in a house with mirrors, so clueless she was with her appeal.

Pure.

Innocent.

Love of life.

Sunshine.

_**Trouble.**_

This was really too easy. If there was anyone who was all powerful and all seeing enough to see her entering, that _being _would have gleefully told the six girls ( and every female who still hoped against hope ) to pack up and leave. 

Mortals, unfortunately, were telling the truth when they said love was blind. Or delusional. Pick your choice. 

Personally, I happen to think it's blind. Mamuro-san certainly needed to have his eyes check, ya know? Even a baby would admit to the many similarities of, hmnnn… enough of that, 'kay?

Still, Meiko convinced herself she was not impressed. _'That one will never be queen bee.'_ This thought was shared by her so called friends collectively. "If she was in our age group, Hikaru-kun would have skinned her alived," Meiko stated. Everyone in her table bobbed their head in agreement.

The green eyed monster reared its head to stare and hiss.

All eyes followed the bouncing bundle in front of the counter and some chuckled at the sight. A few souls, bitter by life's trials, murmured how annoying she was. Their own hearts murmured back that they wouldn't mind staying for a little while…just till Usagi left and taking the sunshine away with her.

The five girls were filled with the cancer that jealousy and envy brought. It couldn't be helped. They were mortal.

Human.

Prone to doubt and self pity.

Not that the golden child doesn't have those. Her life was filled with life's sorry pathos and doubts and self pity, too. It just tended to disappear when she sees a butterfly, or hear a child's gurgle, or smell a whiff of vanilla, or taste some sweet concoction, or see some burst of color, or realize she skipped home yesterday, or remember some nonsensical poem, or…yeah.

You get the idea.

Angst filled this girl like bitter was the taste of sugar coated, caramel dipped, milk chocolate infused, honey doughnut.

Her life held no joy…

Death, who was to be her constant companion, almost blushed in shame. Because the dreaded entity had really tried its best to put some weights to lower the child's love of life. Serenity wasn't nearly as hard to crack. This Tsukino Usagi defied common sense. Even when she was sad, something inside her still found beauty in her pain.

Like it was said, her life holds no joy…

Stupid blonde. Makes you wonder what goes on in that mind of hers.

The original five girls in the booth nearest the exit decided to dismiss the new comer. She was too young to be competition, anyway. Gorgeous, as much a Greek goddess ( sniggers, "Oh, the irony." ) as the man they shadowed, but way, way, way too young. There was nothing in Chiba Mamoru's profile that was remotely implied the idea that he was a cradle snatcher.

What was that term? Oh yeah, famous last words, people. Famous last words…

Of course, he fought tooth and limb. Still was fighting. The word stubborn did not do justice when describing our prince. Denial oozed from him along with his sex appeal.

Dratted man.

Besides, it was Hikaru whom they had to worry about. She was probably digging her claws at Mamoru-kun. She was to be dealt with first.

Collectively they stood, like the drones that they were and marched on to the back room.

The blonde, caught up in her animated story telling of the fluffy clouds outside, gave them a curious glance, but pretty much ignored them as well. One of the girls, Yuri, was tempted to listen. Languidness had come over her when she got near the bit of fluff that was happily slurping a very large triple chocolate shake.

Then it registered to her the unfairness of it all.

At the same age, Yuri had to starved herself to stay thin. The blonde was just starting to ask if she could have three slices of cheesecake as well. _The nerve! How dare she eat that food and look like that_. Yuki hurriedly joined her four friends scowling at the injustice.

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They found the witch Hikaru staring daggers at Mamoru. For his part, the gorgeous man was currently asking in a very impersonal and unaffected voice, Hikaru's diet of late. Was she stressed? Was she recently subjected to fatigue? Those sort of doctor talk. Shop talk, so to speak.

Too bad this was being done while Hikaru's top was open and her bra and generous curves free for his viewing pleasure. He himself had freed her from the confines of her blouse. In a cold voice, sterile and polite, he informed the 'patient' that she probably fainted because she couldn't breathe due to the tightness of the little black number she called clothes.

Let us sweat drop at the boy's stoic demeanour.

The boy was hopeless…Gorgeous, rich, smart _( a genius )_, single, and hopeless. It was almost enough to make all six give up at last.

Key word: almost. 

Because no one in their right mind would ever give up on Mamuro. No one. Queen Beryl certainly refused to give up the memory of the dashing Prince Endymion. And Fiore, who was a man, seemed to have his own agenda. A few queen, and even Mamoru's own flesh and blood –she of the pink hair and weird pink eyes- was deadly serious in snatching him all the way to the altar.

But these are stories for another time. Our concern is the now unfurling story in this timeline. And how easy it is to sour a fairytale that was supposed to be the most romantic story ever. Some people refuse to mind their own business…

Back to the story. Are you able to catch up?

Right? Here we go then. 

None of the six girls knew of a particular blonde who would have screamed her lungs out to convince them otherwise that Mamuro Baka was anything but romance material. At fourteen, Usagi was at disadvantage due to inexperience, but when it came to the object of their desire, the little girl had tons of stories that would convince anyone who cared to listen that the Baka was a worthless sonofabXXXX.

Stories to make anyone's skin crawl.

Highly embellished with very pointed exaggerations but so long it gets the job done, Usagi figured it was alright. Baka Buta was so going down…

And of course our beloved blonde came in.

As if that was ever a question. 

Curious little tyke, ain't she? She's one of those people who couldn't stop minding other people's business. But it's a good thing, cuz otherwise, those youmas would be doing some funky Irish jig with the demented queen I afore mentioned a few phrases back. Getting side tracked again. Hmnnn…

So there it was. For the first time ever, the six girls of Azuba Universities saw a Mamuro everyone knew DOES NOT exist. If any of those clueless college girls have bothered to ask Motoki, they would have learned this Mamuro existed in the arcade at a daily basis. Or in some corner street. Or in front of some place where shoes and test papers struck him.

Like flames to a moth. Or a sailor to a siren's song. Or a tuxedo masked man to a girl in some extremely short sailor fuku.

It was Destiny at work, after all.

"Shimata! Pervert!" Her pigtails flying, the blonde hastily went to button up Hikaru, much to the red head's annoyance. "I don't believe how deprave you can get!"

Kione, Tomoe, and Hatsumomo almost fainted at the upperclassman's reaction.

Chiba Mamuro's face, always the epitome of collected suaveness and calm, was redder than a red dyed tomato. Even his neck, visible since for once he was not wearing those sexy black turtle necks, was really red.

Who'd have thunk?

The hottest man in campus was capable of blushing. Not just the rosy glow in the cheeks blushing, but the murderous flush of a psychotic maniac. And his hands were clenching and unclenching in a way that made them held their neck protectively.

Hikaru herself, her position being near the object of Mamuro's killer stare, felt a frizzle of compassion for the poor girl. The love of her life was out for murder. And the victim was the hapless child who was giving Mamuro her own death glares.

The next words shocked black haired Toro to next week.

"Odango-Atama! Quit you're screaming and get your mind off the gutter, you blonde ditz!" Midnight blue eyes flashed as Mamoru mentally continued digging some burial place for the idiot in front of him. "WHAT EVER IT IS YOU ARE IMPLYING, STOP! Because, I am not as sick as you are to take advantage of someone who needed medical help."

Read that again, and you will realize that somehow, what was said has absolutely no sense.

Chiba Mamoru was roaring at the top of his lungs. There was not a single ounce of coolness in the man who was like a perfect ice sculpture every hour of the day.

The Odango girl shrieked like there was no tomorrow. "I don't believe this! YOU! You have a half naked girl here and you still insist on calling me that! My name is USAGI!" Her hands hand stopped trying to button up Hikaru. The young woman lay forgotten as the two combatants stared each other down. Hikaru herself was curious. Swooning girl, almost half naked versus the importance of calling another girl by her real name.

Was there even a contest?

Yet for some reason, the two blue eyed people inside that small space seemed to find the name calling more important than a maybe sick college girl…

The world had narrowed and only they were in it.

Adam and Eve.

Except the serpent wasn't even allowed in this story; whether Usagi and Mamoru want to admit it or not, neither want to share each other to anyone.

It's really quite sad…but in a somewhat twisted romantic way.

"USAGI ATAMA! No, wait, USAGI ODANGO ATAMA! How is that?" Mamuro had leaned his body in the counter behind him. His face was back to its normal tan, but the smirk on his lips, as well as the glint in the normally humorless eyes, was a foreign thing for the other females in the room. His legs were crossed casually as he was stood, both hands locked behind his back.

Usagi was well acquainted with it the smirk and the glint. As for the posture, it simply meant she have lost the element of surprise. Baka Buta was in for the kill. So she could not be blamed if she more or else predicted what would come next. "Don't you there go there, you BAKA!!!!"

Scripted.

Destiny had schemed and planned for the most romantic meeting ever. Destiny never counted on Mamuro's dislike to be herded to a future he never planned himself. Certainly, Destiny never predicted that their heroine, who fell in love with any gorgeous hunk who gave her the time of day, would develop an actual allergy at the mere mention of Mamuro's name.

It boggles the mind. I swear to god. Or goddess. Or whoever held enough power to gleefully plot mortals pitifully boring lives.

Now, even Destiny refused to touch the script it had written, because it was obviously cursed. Nothing had gone according to plan. Three thousand years of careful planning; all of it went to smoke.

Serenity and Endymion, they of the soul bound love, were ready to kill each other –

Trust me, Usagi had been having dangerous thoughts of late

- every time they met. Destiny just couldn't figure _out HOW THAT HAPPENED_. No one, not even the mythical heroes of old, ever got away from Destiny's grip. Yet the two teen agers slipped from the noose so easily.

Six girls looked uneasily at each other. _Baka? Mamoru? How did she even find the courage? Was she blind? The man is a living breathing sex god!_

Mamoru was ready, swords bared and battle cry bursting from him. In a silky voice, he more or else confirmed Usagi's prediction of what he was about to say next. "Eh, Odango, failed any test today? In fact, failed a test, or two, today?"

This was no.3. Number four is up next (_Those who writes fan fiction are well aware of the scripted fight sequence_), except, well, Mamoru isn't such a stick in the mud when it came to routine that every one claims him to be.

He clicked his tongue in a mocking parody of a man who cared and said, "Jealous?"

This was not part of their script. The Baka was getting new inspiration and had decided to use it. 

Interesting… 

Destiny from her position in the corner saw Love glaring at the script and ripping it to shreds. In minutes, scroll in hand, Love was scribbling furiously, empowered by the emotions being emitted by our hero.

Usagi started choking so badly, even Mamuro was forced to pat her back. "GAHHHH! Are you insane? You couldn't pay me a million dollars, and all the milk chocolate in the world to stay in a room with you and like it!"

Mamuro's eyes flickered with something akin to pain before it was infused with cold anger. "I bet that wouldn't stop you from stuffing yourself with the chocolate, eh, Odango?"

His nemesis gave one final shriek before counting in a small puffy voice. When she got to seventy six, she turned her pleading eyes to Hikaru and with a sincere voice asked if she was well enough. "We can leave now, yes?" she asked hopefully. "I'm sure you're dying to get out of this-" Usagi pointed a trembling finger at the six girls' dark brooding prince "-jerk wad!"

_Jerk wad!? MAMURO IS ACTUALLY BEING CALLED A JERK WAD BY A MEMBER OF THE FEMALE SPECIES!_

Kione was rendered speechless.

Toro herself was still unsure how this came about.

It was Hikaru, with her conniving mind who spoke next. "Anou, but, why did you call him that?"

"What?" The blonde's face was a mixture of disgust and revulsion as she gazed at Mamuro. "Too tame?"

_Too tame? IS SHE INSANE?!_

Motoki saved the day…Or not.

Blondes! Sheesh…his intentions were good, too bad he came there not fully prepared of the consequence.

Kione, forgetting the fact that she was of the drug store variety, decided to add her blondeness in the pot as well. "Motoki-kun, this little brat is insulting your friend. Get her out before my dear China-san gets a head ache dealing with her, ne?"

Motoki frowned, and as clueless as Kione, offered his head for the axe. The tall man stomped towards Usagi _AND_ placed his arms protectively around 'the brat'. "Usagi is a special person here. She happens to be a favorite customer, so I would appreciate it if you be nice to this girl."

Usagi saw hearts, _with Motoki's strong arm holding her protectively_.

Mamoru saw bloody murder, _with Motoki's arm holding Usagi protectively_.

Motoki saw the heart in the eyes, then the murder in the eyes, and wondered how he found himself in this situation, _with his arms holding the girl protectively_.

The six audience in the room would have told him how, except they were busy nursing their broken hearts. Delusional they may be, but all six could not claim to being deaf. Not when the ever suave Mamuro started sputtering, "Moto-Motoki—Baka!...What are you---hentai!---GET. YOUR. –err. Mine! SHE IS MINE!---get your hands! ARGHHHHHHHH!"

Love would have told, and jealousy, and envy, but they were busy adding details to the new script. Destiny would simply have sniffed and said, "Ah fuck it."

Cruel Destiny…

The next day, all the students in Azuba University gave Mamuro a wide berth, and word of mouth was passed that if you wanted to live longer than your early twenties, make sure never to look at a certain blonde-haired junior high girl the wrong way. In fact, best not to look at her at all.

If you are sceptical, look for Motoki with his broken nose and his remorseful best friend that insisted **still** that it wasn't jealousy that made Mamoru's fist slip towards Motoki's face.

Mamoru himself would have sworn to the river spynx. No. NO, he, the cold, unfeeling Chiba Mamoru, never said anything about Odango being his. Motoki must have imagined that one, after he got knocked down by Mamuro. Please be serious. That twit? What would I possibly like about her? Yadah, yadah, ba blah blah blah blah…

Now comes the 'real' beginning of our story. First part was only prologue, after all.

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Somewhere, anywhere, Love felt a stirring deep within, and Destiny heard the melody of an old locket. The red strings of Love and Destiny appeared on the _non existing script_ and zeroed in on our leading actors. It hovered, a bit confused, to see thousands of red strings all ready creating an intricate web around Mamuro and Usagi. There it was, strings pulsing so brightly, entwining around them until they were almost smothered with it. The new string hovered some more before it decided to reinforce the web. It could be broken, after all

Love was adamant in her role as script writer. So just to be safe, She decided she needed a director to make the job flow smoother. Without much ado Love called forth her greatest ally…

As the scroll was filled with the ghostly writings of Love's wicked hand, somewhere far away, where no mortals tread, a portal opened for one of Love's physical forms…

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_**A/N: **__expect regular updates every five days. Muah! Also, I am drawing/painting again, so check my profile for updates for my latest fan art. _


	2. The Soap Opera Begins

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"**Denying Cupid"**

By Counterfeiting Shakespeare

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**The Immortals Cometh **

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Cronus gazed in wonder as the lake of Elysium bubbled. It was rare, nowadays for any news outside the blessed fields to show them the moral worlds. The life they had led there was now past. Every child of the bloodline of the gods had departed and safely transported to the golden fields.

Behind him, Athena gasped. Turning to her owl she murmured a request and held the bird aloft as it flew of to a distant castle made of beaten gold.

Cronus eyed the bearer of Zeus's shield with speculation before returning his gaze to the crystal waters. "It is her? So, she stayed behind, despite all that was forbidden. I had thought she merely slumbers inside the crystals of the Sleeping Cavern."

Athena of the solemn grey eyes nodded her head gravely. In the mortal world, Cronus was the more powerful god, but in Elysium, they stood as equal.

"She stayed because of love…"

Another goddess came forward, her face alight with curiosity. Erin, Messenger of the Gods, gazed deep and recoiled in her own shock.

"That is not Serenity. This one rival's Mercury's mischief!"

Athena, using a seer's vision, shook her head. "It would be Venus's bearer who is mischievous." There was a happy frown on her face. "Mercury's bearer is the most solemn of them, though Cronus's donner is the gravest."

"And Serenity?"

"She is no more."

The three gods turned towards the new comer. Selene, the Lunar Goddess, moved with her usual calm and poise. Though not as powerful as the others before her, her rank was due to the child she bore when she chose a mortal life, during the upheaval of power.

The silver haired woman sank down into the water's edge and touched the image of a young girl with golden hair that was reflected in the surface. "This child is mine…and not mine." A tear escaped her face. "Serenity, even when she was happiest, never possessed such hope within her."

Athena moved towards her oath bound kin. "Then who is she silver one?"

"My daughter."

Cronus moved his hands impatiently. "You just claimed she is not yours." Impatient he was, Cronus.

Selene touched the surface once more, and again a single tear drop fell to the lake, creating ripples in the image. "She is mine, but only in part. Serenity's life lives within her. But she is also another woman, one who I had no hand in shaping…" Her next words were for her own ears only. "…Though I wish I did…"

Erin nodded. "This one carries the Shard of Power, and the Light of Hope. The daughter of the Lunarian Court did not posses such courage as this one."

Athena frowned yet again. However, it was Cronus who spoke, "So why show us what is happening to this stranger's life? Is it for your benefit, Alune?"

Selene shook her regal head sadly, more at loss than the father of Zeus. She had wondered herself, but the lake had called her as if giving her permission to gaze at the child that could have been her daughter, in another time, and place.

It was Eros, his arrows quivering that answered with his seductive drawl. "Love calls me, and I must answer." Athena's owl was perched in his broad shoulder. His wings beat the air around the lake, creating swirls and gusts of winds around the immortals.

Athena's frown grew darker. She had nothing against the winged god, save that his power defied logic and reason, and more often than not had rendered a good many men to their knees. Mortal and gods alike feared his bow and arrows.

"You're mischief brings nothing but trouble. Iliad's children know this. What despair do you bring now, God of Love?" with her hand she gestured for her pet. The owl hooted once and alighted on Athena's staff.

Eros grinned boyishly at the Goddess of Wisdom, before plunging into the lake. It was in the winds howl that his answer came…

'Your words hurt deep, Athena of the grey eyes. Besides, my arrow falls useless with the girl's heart. Love already claims her. But as Serenity was stubborn in her life, this Usagi, who claims her memories, is more stubborn than she. Rest assured, though, that I will prevail. For after all, what is the only power capable of overcoming all, yea, even the pride of the last daughter of the immortal line, but love itself…'

With that, the reflection in the lake vanished. Selene missed the laughing face of her daughter's mirror image, and gasp at what Eros's words meant… Her lunar child, this girl whose connection lies in the reality that her soul was once of the child of Hecate, was about to butt heads, with the Eros, or Cupid, as he is more known.

With trembling hands, she recalled the last time that Eros shot his flaming arrows…and the destruction of the world of Silver Millenium…Of how the mortal Beryl succumb to the lure of the dark arts after Cupid's arrow pricked her skin and made her infatuated with Endymion.

Selene recalled the deaths that came about such 'love'. Her daughter died that day, as did her daughter's mortal lover. Cupid's love brought nothing but misery. Selene knew this, as did Athena.

Silently, the Maiden of Wisdom held once again her owl aloft. The owl screeched at first in annoyance at being made to fly again so soon before launching into the air, ready to do his mistress's bidding. Cupid would find that there was more than stubborn pride halting his egoistic power trip.

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They were huddled together, very interested with the existing script –

That was shredded in the prologue so I have zero clue how they are able to read it now

- Love declaring they must make themselves familiar with the workings of the present script before they revamped it and make it their own.

Gluttony said that the eating part was perfect; she had no problem with it. "Demo," Gluttony added, "maybe Usagi could eat more sweet buns and chocolate shake? I think she is too thin as it is."

Envy whacked Gluttony's head upside down with a giant salmon.

Pride claimed Chiba Mamoru needed to be more arrogant.

Vanity suggested the girl Usagi leave her customary hairstyle and leave it unbound since Tsukino-san's hair was her best feature.

Destiny sniffed alone in her corner and muttered, "Ah, fuck it."

Like I said, cruel Destiny… 

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**The script, as perfected by the Odango and the Baka.** Read by the beta reader so it is in first person POV.

**Act 1 **

(**Some place where a fast sprinting girl and a happily strolling college guy can meet**)

1. Leading lady broooommmsss fast, toast in her mouth, wailing loud. She trips, or bumps, or crash, - most likely its crash- her face in a chiselled chest.

2. She falls hard, sometimes the owner of the iron chest catches her, and at times she falls flat on her rear. There is a suspicious theory that the owner of the muscled abs let her fall, because our leading lady has a tendency to have her feet up in the air when she falls… Still, we should give him the benefit of a doubt…I suppose…

3. He asks her why can't she be _not_ clumsy, calls her Meatball Head and saunters away, leaving Usagi sputtering at his back. Second variation is he asks why can't she stop being a klutz, calls her Odango Atama, she blows a raspberry, maybe starts shrieking loud enough for people to give our hunk of a leading man the glare, and he leaves in haste. Either that or the girl realize how late she is and sprints away, still dreaming of some lovely steak knives embedding themselves on a black haired jerk...

**Act 2 (More of an ad-lib really)**

**(Any place where a piece of crumpled paper or a loose shoe somehow manages to always land on an upper classman head. Its really cute, but our man has zero humor, and that's why they argue)**

1. Leading man gets irritated for being taken as a trashcan, calls out Odango Atama, and earns himself a raspberry.

2. (A) If it's a test paper, then it is also in every likely hood a failed test paper so he cruelly asks why she is so stupid. In retaliation, our ditz reply there is more to life than studying_. HE_ doesn't agree. After all, this is a guy who reads physics inside an arcade.

2. (B) If it's a shoe, he gets to glibly say that she is a nuisance to the public's health. I had yet to hear our leading lady have a good reply with that one. Although there is that one time when she cried convincingly enough that Mamoru was stricken with hard glares by the other people on the street. After that, he antes up the attacks, and she just decides to wail louder.

**Act 3 **

'…'

Oh, shit. The script writers are now in seventh heaven. They have just found the perfect setting for _THEIR_ script. I narrow my gaze and read what they have planned out for the Odango and the Baka.

'…'

1. Leading lady comes inside, sometimes she is sad, MOST of the times, she is in high spirits.

2. This is a mystery, the next part. Even when she has done nothing to our leading man, he makes sure he insults her. If there is no reason, no actions that she has caused to earn the remarks, he might be reduced to insult her simply for breathing.

3. Usagi for her part will try desperately to be perfect in front of the love of her life –READ: THE LOVE OF HER LIFE, meaning MOTOKI!!!!—and valiantly ignore the Baka.

4.The Baka, infuriated, throws more punches, keeping himself cool and suave, while our leading lady finally wails and hiss like there is no tomorrow. She storms out the Arcade, afraid that if she stays, her young body will be lock away wearing prison stripes and blah orange in the not so distant future… And the Baka, six feet under ground.

5. Motoki asks why Mamoru is so mean to the blonde, and Mamoru shrugged because the blonde isn't really so important. Out of sight, out of mind. So they say. So they say…

6. Love is ecstatic. This is it, this is the part that would be perfect for the script! She cancels #4, as well as #5, and starts writing her new lines. She adds that Motoki starts charging an entrance fee at around the time the blonde and the 'Prince' appears, because well, this is a soap opera and needed funding.

That done, Love, Destiny and Hope, along with a dash of Envy, Jealousy, Pride, Gluttony – we are talking about Usagi- happily kills each other to get a chance to add some flavor to the new script. Lust ignores them, because she is stripping Cupid with her eyes. Cupid beats a hasty retreat and looks on at the final act.

Lust, bored out of her– let's make only Pride a man – mind, decides to get a look see on the script –

I must confess, how a script is being written baffles me, since Love, Hope, and the whole shebang are non physical entity.

- Lust comments how boring the script is and decides to add a whole new dimension to our story line…

The beta reader  (who happens to be the one speaking in the first person view and have the sentences underlined)  is getting a migraine trying to think of a way to have Lust have her way in the story, and still make the story pg 13 friendly… 

'…'

Bloody hell…

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**Setting up the Scene of the Story**

_(Let the Soap Opera Begin)_

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It must be stressed, simply in trying to be as true as possible, that despite popular belief, Usagi rarely hang out in the Crown Arcade with her new found friends. True, there was that one time when she brought Mizuno Ami along, but it was more on the indignity of a fourteen year old girl being friends with someone who had never, ever, played an arcade game.

And, yeah, one must remember distinctly when Rei started laughing manic-like, her feet propped up on a stool. Motoki was in no way happy that the fiery miko seemed interested in his best friend. Rei was a woman possessed that day.

I certainly would be scared stiff, too, if I was the object of her affection…

Now Makoto-san…Hmnn, tough call. Her devotion to her sempai's memory pretty much made sure she would be a regular in the arcade. As you know, Furuhata Motoki sorta, kinda, reminded Makoto of her first love.

Let us take the time to imagine the many guys that reminded Makoto of her sempai. Then use that to imagine what the sempai must have looked like.

'…'

Oh-keiii…All I can come up with is a Frankenstein like monster with the most gorgeous body parts connected here and there by some black strings. Eeew, eeew, eeew…

So, yes, Makoto,** one could safely assume**, must come to the Arcade often. And by the most logical of deduction, _must know of the little notes that came along the menu_. What did it read, you wonder? Certainly not the script, because then it would ruin the suspense.

The note, a harmless little ditty that Motoki, in his moments of pain (remember the broken nose, people) wrote to give heads up to the affluent patrons of the arcade. It is pretty straight up, stating that if you are in high school and up, that a entrance fee will be imposed at three in the afternoon, simply because the arcade's management insists on charging the clientele the little (?!) spats it provide every now and then (Motoki wanted revenge for the broken nose and decided to get rich while doing it).

Back to Makoto.

That Motoki was a lucky guy. Of all the people close to Usagi, she was the one who was given the task of informing the blonde her part time job in the arcade. And since Makoto was currently in some love matching of her own, you can bet our silly little asses that no memo ever came to Usagi. Or Ami. Or Rei, for that matter. She, as written in the new script, decided to keep her lips sealed about this new development.

Right, lets get back on track, shall we? 

In a Shakespearian play, the setting of the story was important.

Let us assume that Makoto was there. She could be in the kitchen, trying to convince Motoki that a way to a man's stomach was true his heart…err, I meant to say, the way to a man's heart is throu—you get the point.

So, let us leave her there, happily chopping, her minds dancing about with babies and wedding anniversaries and all those things girls daydream when they thinking about their latest paramour.

Now, Motoki would most probably be behind the counter. Or somewhere near the door. Except if he was always near the door, Mamoru-who was pretty smart- might get suspicious long before Motoki took courage and told him about the entrance fee in "_**One Day of Serenity**_"

Well, sheesh, I have to advertise that. Gimme a break, okay?

Let us put Motoki then, behind the counter

Cupid, the director that Love and the whole gang summoned, to probe things alone, would be sitting in a corner. He would be in the air. The god - being invisible, which was important, because if Usagi and Makoto saw him hovering like that, they might take him to be a general of the Dark Kingdom. Then Mamoru would have to transform, and our story will most definitely not go according to plan – should be doing something.

Hmnnn. What is Cupid doing? Eating a hamburger? Sounds right, _somehow._ But let's make that the hamburger is invisible to. And before you comment on that, the man is a god so he got the impossibility of the situation covered.

On a booth not far away, there would an extremely beautiful woman, who would be on her knees professing undying love to a red haired man. The woman's boyfriend, who has brown hair, would be yelping and asking how she could break his heart like this just when he had just offered her an engagement ring. The red haired guy would be currently being whacked on the head by HIS girlfriend.

One clue on who caused this mischief…

Have we got everything cleared? Every one in their proper places, I hope? Good, good…Cupid has happily finished the burger, by the way. A piece of meat has stuck between his lower molars, so our God of Love is currently using his arrows as tooth pick. And lemme tell you, this arrows are like the bazooka is to a water gun. These things pack a big wallop. Maybe he shouldn't be using that…for all we know, he might not be immune to his own poison…hehehehe…

Okay, here we go now.

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**The Soap Opera Begins**

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'….'

Well, sheesh, where is the little lady? Ma**koto you dolt**! You didn't bring her? **Arghhhhh!!!!!**

Ten minutes later…

Motoki was getting antsy. His customers were giving him the evil glare, and Mamoru looked like he was about to leave. He wondered if a refund would have to be given. Reika would be so disappointed. The sandy haired man had sort of promised a delivery of a bouquet of very expensive tulips to his girl, who kept insisting on digging dead people on the deserts of Africa…

For a while the four - read that, FOUR - couples at the back had become some form of entertainment before the main course came.

Cupid himself, bored stiff, and eating another burger, had strung his arrows and was about to target another couple. That would make five now…The god of love was a very impatient deity. Usagi better come fast lest he started shooting every moving thing inside the arcade…

_Kling! Kling!_

Redemption at last! Motoki sighed in relief. This girl would be the death of him yet. He touched his still tender nose and glared silently at Mamoru.

As for Chiba-san, he was just about jumping from his skin. This had been his eight cup of coffee. By the time this cup was halfway gone, his mind had more or less resigned the fact that there will be no fighting today. And that made him feel…pretty sad, actually.

Then the bells in the entrance door started giggling. A little lady in very short shorts started prancing in his inner eye. Her top was pretty tiny too…very, very, very tiny… She was holding a large white card with the number 1 on it. When she left with a cute wiggle, she even winked at Mamoru as if to say, '_Go get her, Tiger_'. And she looked awfully familiar, too. What with the blonde hair, and her blue eyes…

It seems that while it always appeared that it was Mamoru who always attacks first, Usagi manages, unbeknownst to her – but then, when does she ever truly know – to throw the first punch. In a very short shorts that left our lovable Baka clutching his coffee cup in dread…lest anyone see his-

-**LUST!** Don't you dare author this script! Gluttony, tie her up before she makes more mischief!-

Gluttony huffed away, then conveniently lock Lust in the closet. Love, who was still dizzy with the whack that Lust had given her before taking and sprinting away with the script, gave the closet a baleful glare.

Right. 

PG 13…

PG 13…

PG 13…

Okay, I'm back. Goodness, how horrible would that have been, if we hadn't caught the little seductress on time. Not that Cupid looked mindful. His busy with his arrow again. Apparently, another piece of meat got stuck on his teeth again. I really wish he won't do that…

Mommy…

Stupid Mamoru was so busy thinking of the best opening insult; he didn't bother sensing something was amiss in this fan fiction.

Just let them have it then…it's their funeral, after all…

The god, by the way, was eating a burger again. In Elysium, there was only honey and ambrosia, so he pretty much decided to gobble all that he could, in case he was called back to the immortal fields. There was a discussion happening in a fog ridden place. Gluttony was calling out the unfairness of Cupid eating endless supply of burgers. And she wanted a taste of those fries that Makoto was making in the kitchen…the milkshake, too, if it was possible…

Avarice was just worried about the calories.

Love was glum because her director seemed more interested in food than making sure Usagi and Mamoru kept to what was being written to the script.

The script, that very special scroll written and edited by Love itself…was missing.

Pandemonium erupted. Hope, Love, Pride, Envy, Gluttony, Avarice, and Covetousness looked at every available hiding place, looking for the script.

I have no clue where Destiny and Lust are…Nor am I saying that Destiny, not pleased on being booted out of the matchmaking scheme had formed an unholy alliance with Lust. I do know that if the script is in their greedy little hands, Motoki better be willing to be the one to tell Kenji-sama why his little girl is now well acquainted with the birds and the bees. God help the blonde. I can offer no prayer for Mamoru, coz by then, he is probably dead.

Now, before one or the other finds an eraser and starts writing a new dialogue, let us follow what is being written. It must be mentioned that by now, Cupid has stopped eating, seeming to understand that the story will be unfolding.

Somewhere, anywhere, far away, Lust wrote a new passage in the script, and Destiny squeaked out an scandalized 'Hentai, hentai!!!'

The winged god felt the words being whispered to him and readied his bow and arrows. His target was Usagi, having just happily entered the arcade and was now skip, skip, skipping towards the counter.

I fear for the blonde that is our leading lady. But to be fair, I fear for the god of love, too. Because in life, as it has always been, there are times that Love gets overshadowed by testosterones, and estrogens…and in a fourteen years old body, those hormonal chemicals are pretty rampant.

Let's not forget to mention her lovely crystal, still unwhole, still unfound, and still unremembered, but connected to her in a way that made the whole death scene of Endymion in season 1, mind- breathtakingly painful. What is up with that by the way…couldn't they have squeezed more out of that part than just live me massacring my pillows?

With these facts, Cupid should have thought better than aiming it at the happy Odango, since Homer, along with the incredible amount of Grecian writers could fully attest, a god or goddess, stricken with his flaming arrow, more often than not, caused so great a ruckus, that the world literally verges on its end.

Why do you think they are stuck in that field? By choice? Yeah, right.

_TWANG…_

Idiot. Why couldn't he listen to me. I wouldn't lie about this thing…

Usagi stopped on her tracks. She felt it. Something had struck her right between her heart. Something forged in the core of the earth, under Vulcan's mighty forge…

What did I tell you? Stupid Cupid. Stupid, stupid, stupid…

"Eh, Odango. Normally I wouldn't be surprise with you having that idiotic look on your face…But you are blocking the traffic."

Another idiot… Amazing…

Usagi's eye flickered to the man by her right.

Now it must be inserted how Cupid's arrows worked; when it hits someone, the first person that person saw was the one they fall helplessly in love with. Desperately, and without logic. Love in all its freaking madness. With out the joy, the gentle caress, or the tender devotion.

This sort of love was the love that made stalkers out of men. The sort that makes an idiot fall in love with a toilet seat.

In other words, you lose your mind. 

And boy, did Usagi loose hers.

"BAKA! I don't believe this! Just once, can't you please, please be nice to me!?!" Usagi was wailing her loudest. Her blue eyes were seeing red. Her hands, such delicate little hands, made haste to choke the living daylights of her worst enemy.

Say what!? Hey! What happened? Cupid looked at me, then looked at his arrows. 

Incredulously, he strung another one and '_TWANG_', there it goes, hitting a seven year old straight in the kisser. The boy, his eyes promptly falling on Unizuki, Motoki's sister, felt a strange tightening in his chest. With out wasting time, the seven years old started quoting Shakespeare… "A rose by any other name, will smell as …"

Jeez, what do schools teach children today?

Cupid, with a frown, watched his arrows do their damage—err, magic. Wanting to make sure, he scaned the crowd, saw a boy with the weirdest glasses ever and fired. Umino was hit directly at the gona—yeah, right there. 

That stupid script better be found fast, before Lust makes a mockery of or lovely soap. Do you want to know who Umino sees first? I don't blame you. That guy was weird enough to begin with, so let's just get back to the two who really interest us. But be assured, Umino was hit and hit pretty bad. His voice, trying in vain to sound like Casanova, was quoting a line from the popular cult classic, "Night of the Living Dead". 

Weird guy.

Lust and Destiny now fought for the script. With a hiss, Love sprung behind them and snatched the fast shredding pile of paper. It flew in the air and those in that place (That is still somewhere, anywhere) tried their best to place it back in order.

The God of Love, trying to read the scattered pages, saw the second page, long played out and saw that it was written how he was suppose to eat a burger. With a shrug, a burger appeared in his hand and he happily started eating. BUT not before he released another arrow.

_TWANG…_

"EEEK!" Usagi screamed. Her hand swatted at the spot on her neck where she felt something sting her. Her eyes irritated, she flicked a disdaining look _AT_ Mamoru **FIRST**, _before_ she turned to Motoki. Now, her eyes were just plain luminous. Like the moon, with its silver blue glow…

"Motoki-kun, I think you should invest in bug spray. I just got bitten by a mosquito…" Usagi simpered. In his position, seated besides the blonde, Mamoru's sneer became pretty scary.

Usagi swung her head at her nemesis and said, "If you don't stay quiet, this milkshake is gonna be adorning your moronic head!"

There was some choking on the upper corner of the arcade. Somewhere in the vicinity of the ceiling. No one noticed the half eaten burger that appeared out of thin air, and fell flat on the floor.

Gluttony screamed at the sacrilege. _That was a burger! A perfectly juicy, delicious half-eaten burger! Have Cupid no respect!?_

_TWANG !_

_TWANG !_

_TWANG !_

_TWANG !_

It must be stressed: IF THERE WERE EVER TWO PIG HEADED PEOPLE ON THE WORLD, IT MUST BE THE ODANGO AND THE BAKA. So there.

Mamoru and Usagi's hand made successive swatting motion on there various body parts.

TWACK!

TWACK!

TWACK!

TWACK!

Mamoru, our gorgeous amnesia ridden prince, spoke first. "Gotta agree with Odango here, Motoki-san. This place is filled with mosquitoes." He looked around nervously. The guy was allergic to anything not smelling of chlorine and disinfecting alcohol.

Now Cupid was the one seeing red. What the heck was wrong with this two, anyways? So maybe Usagi got some pretty good excuse for not being overly –heck –completely unaffected, but Mamoru?

Eh? I forgot about his powers…You know. Not the rose throwing bit…Give me a break. A rose by any other name will most definitely not be enough to protect him from Cupid's attack…However, let's not forget his own lovely crystal. And just for added boost, his link with our lovely ditz maybe strong enough to give him a demi god's protection…

The entire reality of the crown arcade was turning upside down now. Cupid was just about ready to start shooting all his arrows at ANYONE because he was getting a big whack at his self confidence. Not even Zeus was strong enough to resists his arrows… Love certainly was beginning to doubt if having him around was doing any good to getting Usagi and Mamoru together.

Now, Lust ---

She is still around?! Shimata! Is that a page clasped in her manicured hands? Oh, oh, she's gonna write something…

Usagi turned towards her enemy and promptly started kissing him.

And baby, when it said kiss, it meant a real kiss…

You want description? Well, why not. I'm sure Lust won't mind accommodating that request…

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_**A/N**__: There is a lot of editing done here so if you are a former reader you might want to re-read. I'll post next chapter in five days._


	3. Act Three Scene One

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**Denying Cupid **

By Counterfeiting Shakespeare

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**Act Three, Scene One **

(Lights! Camera! Action!)

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"Hah! They are kissing! Pay up!"

" No way…Look at that…"

" Mommy, why is that girl's tongue in that man's mouth?"

Around the arcade, murmurs were heard, bets were being paid, and a large amount of scandalized mothers were keeping their hands in front of their children's innocent eyes.

Lust, in her position behind Envy, gave Destiny a high five.

Mamoru, for his part, knew that pretty soon, he would need to breathe. So that was why his hands clasped Usagi's head to tilt it, and kissed deeper.

Good boy… 

And our leading lady? Well, after the initial shock of wanting to put all the passion she could put in her kiss, she pretty much melted in Mamoru's arms. Her mind warred, something was up, and she shouldn't be kissing the Baka. So when her small hands went to his jacket to pull HER man closer, _we_ knew for sure she didn't listen to that small voice.

"Guys! Hey, don't do that here!" Motoki squawked. His blue eyes watched with disbelief as Mamoru and Usagi continued their private game of tonsil hockey. For a moment, he felt a little frizzle of envy, then saw the people streaming in, unchecked, into the arcade…"Where the hell is my sister…" he muttered. "Someone has to get the entrance fee."

Mamoru's hands travelled the curve of Usagi's body. Cupid from his vantage point was watching with grim satisfaction. His arrows were working. It took a good ten hits, and now, somehow, they were taking effect.

They tried.

They really did.

But they needed to breathe and so they did just that. Blue met with blue. Disbelief, shock and passion were in both.

Then Usagi hiccupped, and the spell was broken.

"HENTAI! HENTAI!" she yelled. Her lovely face was flaming red. In fact, her entire body had pretty much taken an incredible shade similar to the color of Tuxedo Mask's roses.

"What the hell…LOOK, YOU kissed me!" Mamoru said, somewhat breathless, because he did not have Usagi's amazing lung capacity.

There was no way Usagi was going to take responsibility with this one…even if she had been the one to make the first move. Mortified, she begun her defense. "HOW CAN YOU SAY THAT! You jerk! I merely **slipped**!"

Nice… 

All six foot four inches of the jerk's hunk of a body loomed at our five feet two inches '_I merely slipped'_ heroine. Indignation was in Mamoru's face. Usagi was pole axed at the dark energy emanating from him.

"YOU SLIPPED?! Some slip." Mamoru jeered.

Yeah, I gotta admit, that slip was pretty suspicious now that I thought about it some more… 

_TWANG… _

_TWANG… _

Cupid was starting to get pissed. His arrows were not working! What sort of antibodies do these two have anyway?

Mamoru ignored the sting. The blonde before him was still a lovely shade of red. He wondered if she was red all over her body…

"Come, here!" The Baka ordered her.

Usagi had started doing 'The Hop'. You know, the sort that looked like you wanted really hard to pee, but needed to stay put. "Why would I wanna do that, Jerk wad!"

"I need you to slip again…" Mamoru said silkily.

There you have it…His oozing sensuality. 

Usagi turned a brighter shade of red, then turned a lovely shade of white. Her eyes zoomed in for the exit.

_RUN USAGI! RUN LIKE THE WIND! _

The god of love saw that, and ad libbing- because no script was forthcoming from where the writers were stationed in that somewhere, anywhere place– let loose another arrow.

_TWANG… _

She turned gracefully in a semi circle, her feet ready to bolt…as if hell and all of hell's demons were after her still tomato red body.

_TWANG! _

TWANG!

**TWANG! **

Give it up Cupid. Usagi was still a child, and these emotions were making her woozy. Her hormones were now working overtime. And her stomach felt as if frogs were doing a musical in it. Plus her head felt too light. Like it wasn't screwed to her head. She was getting a sick look on her face. Really sick. With a stilted movement, she bee lined to the comfort room instead of the exit.

Well now, let's leave her there, shall we? She needs the escape. Poor girl was looking pretty green there for a while. And her eyes was looking really, really big. 

Mamoru for his part was trying to control his heart beat.

Let us snigger. 

That's not all you are in need of controlling, bub. 

His mind was insisting that nothing happened. The almost ear's splitting _THUD THUD! THUD THUD! THUD THUD!_ Of his heart begged otherwise. Certainly certain body parts would like very much to disagree with that observation, too. His tongue slowly licked his bottom lip as if tasting Usagi all over again.

In the back, the woman that Cupid's bored arrow first hit turned to stare. She stood, undecided, if maybe in her impassioned state she could make a move at Mamoru. But she did not have immunity to the love arrow so she continued with her hugging of the red haired man. Her boyfriend started crying.

'_Hmnn, what is the Odango doing there?_' came a silken thought.

Lust, still somewhere, still anywhere, and who was conveniently forgotten, was now busy scribbling away. Love had fainted, too distraught by the sudden developments. Destiny hovered by, and begged Lust not to let the child have her first time inside the bathroom…

Spoils sport… 

I mean, yeah, don't be so sickening… 

Cupid, fully conscious now of the iron will our two leading actors have over their emotions made haste to draw his arrows again. Really, not even Pygmalion was this ankle deep in his self-denial. And that guy was pining for a clay statue, for crying out loud!

Mamoru felt another stinging and gave Motoki a glare. "You really need to smoke this place down, Motoki," he said in a grim tone. Then with stomping feet, he turned towards the bathroom, intent on seeing what Usagi was up to.

You go Mamoru! 

Destiny glared at the beta reader.

Err, I meant to say, don't even think of entering that bathroom, Mamoru-Baka! 

Usagi emerged before he could make it halfway. Her face was still dewy from where water had splashed it. Her school bow she had taken out, somewhat afraid it would get wet…

Uhm…That made no sense… 

Why the heck did she need to take the ribbon off? 

Lust grinned maliciously.

Now we _know_ the real reason why Usagi felt driven to take her ribbon out. Now we just need to know why Lust would want it off. Its such a cute ribbon, too. _Pretty big_, but cute. 

Mamoru starred at the girl who had been dancing in an out of his conscious thoughts (And subconscious thoughts, as well) for the past months now. Stared hard…

…and started gulping.

Gulp…

Gulp…

Gulp…

Gulp..gulp…gulp…gulp…gulp…

Okay, we get it. Just try to imagine fifty or mo so gulping. I promise there is a reason for it. 

Mamoru narrowed his eyes and scanned the arcade. He had gulped only once. He was sure of that. He did not like the fact that he had heard others doing the same…

All around the arcade, guys were either blanched white or blushing beet red. An old man, a Christian with very devout ways, made a fast exit muttering something about how the soap opera was getting an insy bit rowdy for his taste. Mamoru waited for more to leave.

Don't hold your breath, bub. 

What are they so gulpy about anyway. So okay, Usagi looks pretty cute with some of her hair plastered on her forehead, a few sticking out in the most adorable manner. Her pigtails are dry though. True, her skin looks very refressed, but then, she had washed it just seconds ago. And in her hard scrubbing water had splashed onto her blouse. A good amount of it, too… 

…on her lovely, white, thin, cotton blouse…

Oh. 

Cupid, slightly overwhelmed with the sight himself, gulped his own gulp and strung another arrow into his bow. Lust, thinking one good turn deserved another, started scribbling away. By now, Destiny was having second thoughts about teaming up with Lust. She fetched a bucket of water and threw all the contents into Loves sleeping face.

_TWANG! _

Lust, with a flourish, added the period in her last sentence.

And Mamoru started stripping his green jacket.

Gasp from the females in the arcade. Now that the ugly coat was gone, Mamoru was now flaw free. And boy, was he GORGEOUS…(_sigh)_…

…(sigh)… 

Then Mamoru began fiddling with the buttons of his shirt.

Wow. When Lust makes it her business to interfere, she really goes all out… 

Our man was halfway done unbuttoning his shirt when Usagi, our lovely nymph who couldn't hurt a little ant started slapping a high school student who happened to be near her.

But let's give the girl a break, since Cupid had gotten very liberal with his arrows on her, and she really is beginning to feel its effect. 

"Get your own man!" She shrieked. "And don't you dare do what I heard you said just minutes before, you slut! That guy is _MINE!_"

'Well now,' Mamoru thought, halted in his mission, 'What have we here…'

Four guys ready to pounce Usagi, IS what we have here! They had decided that fourteen or not, she _WILL_ grow up and become legal eventually. Better secure her for themselves before she gets snatched by anyone else…who knew the petite blond has a body to match that hair…

The leading man saw the determination in the advancing men's eyes and saw murder. "Oh, no you don't…" he said under his breath. Looking around he saw two forks, a spoon, piece of pie still uneaten, and a bread knife. His will took over him for the barest of second, and his hand passed over the butter coated utensil, going instead for the pie. Thus armed, he proceeded with gusto.

_Ting! _

Kerplunk!

_Ting! _

Splat!

The casualty rate goes as follow; a spoon, lying harmlessly on the ground right next to a man holding his now bruised forehead, two forks lying three feet apart and two men giving Mamoru evil glares as they rub the spot where the HANDLE of the fork had stubbed them, and a sixteen years old boy, his face covered with delicious cherry filling and flaky crust.

Like Mamoru would care what they were thinking. This was the guy whose fist _slipped_ towards his best friends nose when the best friend had the gall to hold _his _Odango close. And that was even before he got bombarded with some 'defective' arrows.

Love woke up spluttering and gave Destiny a death stare. Which quickly turned to a look of horror as Destiny recounted what had been happening.

Lust, our alluring vixen, saw her moment of glory slipping away, and prompted Cupid to keep shooting.

_TWANG! _

_TWANG! _

_TWANG! _

_TWANG! _

All four arrows shot record time towards Mamoru. Which was a bad move since Cupid should have shot a few at Usagi. This was because Usagi had recovered from what she had done, and was now kneeling, begging forgiveness to the stunned girl whose left cheek now sported Usagi's lovely hand print.

This was a hindsight that would cost Cupid a lot more of his arrows.

"BAKA! Look at what you have done! I can't believe that you did that to those poor defenceless creatures!"

The high school girl who minutes before had felt Usagi's wrath rolled her eyes in the air. She had forgiven Usagi because she was partly to blame- the thing she had mentioned doing was pretty wild –and also because the blonde really looked ready to die for her when Usagi had snapped out of her passion induced world. Still, the irony of Usagi's comment deserved an eye rolling gesture.

Mamoru was in the same league. Arrows or not, his pride demanded that he answer. Libido could wait. "You should talk! You are a nuisance to the public's health, you twit. AND STOP HOPPING!" With quick strides, he scooped his jacket up from the floor and wrapped it around the blonde.

Apparently, libido could wait, so long as Usagi wasn't hopping, or standing before him with a wet blouse.

Usagi was steamed. _How dare he!_ _Was he talking about how her shoes kept pelting him at the street?_ She had explained that one…or two. Or three.

How many times had her shoe zeroed in on him anyway? I've lost count... 

As Mamoru's arms came around her, Usagi stiffened. Images of the mind shattering kiss that they had just shared taking over her mind. She felt her knees getting weaker. Her body becoming jell o. She could not have that.

Why not? 

What is it with this girl? 

"BAKA BUTA! No touchie! No touchie!" She screamed at his face. Right at Mamoru's right ear. Yeouchhh. 

Back in denial. Cupid was getting royally pissed.

Now, things were heating up. Somewhere along the way, our two favorite people were trying to pick up the usual track of their fight. And somewhere, anywhere, Love gave Lust a flying tackle. But not before Lust completed her paragraph.

This could only mean one thing.

And no, you'll have to use your imagination with these one, coz I have bigger issues to tackle myself. 

_Kling _

_Kling _

Hino Rei, she of the fiery temper and unrequited love for Chiba Mamoru walked in high with expectation. She had been waiting for ages at a particular street corner but the upper classman had not come. So naturally, she would try the arcade, because as mentioned, the bloody man seemed happy to spend his days in a place surrounded by screaming kids playing video games.

A contradiction, was Chiba Mamoru. He wanted peace and quiet so he always went to the one place Usagi always frequented. No wonder Destiny still had her hopes up.

What she saw made her grasped her henshin wand so fast, it almost looked like she was ready to do a transformation.

Poor girl.

She honestly believed she and Mamoru had that special something.

Someone should have told her it wasn't meant to be.

In fact, she should have guessed it, since she WAS psychic.

What'd I say; love is blind. Including psychic eyes. 

Somewhere, anywhere, Love stated sweat dropping, and Destiny started wailing.

Hino Rei had just joined the cast. That just couldn't be good.

Nope.

Not good at all.

It did not bode well to have Hino Rei play supporting role.

That would be _like_ courting a firestarter head on.

Lust, pinned beneath Love, was just pissed that she couldn't write no more.


End file.
